Introduction
Throughout the course of the semester, my skills and confidence in developing maps grew. I went from never having opened an R session, to actually enjoying learning through the tutorials, troubleshooting, and creating maps that spatially represent key concepts learned in the readings and lectures. This semester has shown me what I deep reverence I hold for R. It is amazing that a computer program can evoke such emotional volatility: The frustration over hitting a wall, and needing to find a workaround. The anxiety and anticipation watching the red stop sign as a code runs. Best of all, the pure joy when that code choke runs and you have created a map you can call your own. I have also learned the importance of collaborative work, and the fun in the challenge of working through problems as a team. While this portfolio is a synthesis of what I have learned this semester, it provided me the opportunity to reflect on and be proud of how far I have come in just six weeks.
I believe my portfolio demonstrates each of the following skills:
- Displaying multiple vector layers on the same map
- Calculating and displaying relationships among point and polygon layers based on distance
- Aggregating point data to a layer of polygons
- Calculating and displaying accessibility, based on travel time
- Converting between raster layers and vector layers
- Displaying raster data on a map
- Georeferencing a raster image
- Displaying data on an interactive map
About the Mapper
Ellie Sheild, a native of North Carolina, is a first-year Master in Urban Planning Student at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. When not prematurely graying her hair from R coding, she enjoys hiking, biking, and exploring the greater Boston area.
Contact
Ellie Sheild (She/Her/Hers) Master in Urban Planning Candidate 2023 Email: esheild@gsd.harvard.edu Phone: 704-441-4076
Ackowledgements
I would like to give credit to Professor Carole Voulgaris, Teaching Fellow Charu Srivastava, the Teaching Assistant Dream Team (Emma, Megan, and Jonathan), and my fellow MUP students. Thank you for taking the time to help me grow this semester, and I hope you all enjoy my VIS2128 portfolio.
Mumbai, India
Rob Kitchen’s et al., research “Thinking about Maps” discusses the implications of map making and cartography on the expansion of colonialism. The impacts of colonialism are evidenced in changing geographic boundaries over time of jurisdictions. My focus for this particular project was Mumbai, India, which was occupied by the British empire from 1858-1947.
Administrative Boundaries
Administrative Boundaries demonstrates the differences in relation to a map created by the British at the height of their rule in 1900 to a precolonial boundary of 1849 (blue) and jurisdictional growth over time during the rule of 1931 (red).
This map demonstrates the following skills: * Displaying raster data on a map * Georeferencing a raster image